Moore calls for microphones

31 October 2012 09:57

Brian Moore claims football's authorities are fearful of what would would be exposed if they were to equipped referees with microphones.

Moore, 50, who played in the 1991 World Cup final, nevertheless believes such a step could help to clean up football's image.

Following Chelsea's allegation that referee Mark Clattenburg used "inappropriate language" towards two Blues players in Sunday's explosive Premier League game against Manchester United, the suggestion that football follows rugby's lead in arming match officials with microphones has been raised. Press Association Sport understands 37-year-old Clattenburg completely denies the allegations against him, which are the subject of investigations by the Metropolitan Police and the Football Association.

The Ref! Link system has been successfully deployed in rugby, allowing fans an insight to discussions between players and officials during matches.

"Not only do you record these things but you put them on the Ref! Link so that the crowd including the children and the sponsors, most importantly, can hear what they say," Moore told BBC Radio Five Live Moore, a Chelsea supporter, said football's language would be toned down "within six weeks" of such a scheme.

"But when you speak to people in football, a lot of them say 'You can't do that'," he added. "But I say, 'You can do it, you just won't'. And 'can't' and 'won't' are very different things."

"There's no technical reason or moral reason, it's just that they're afraid people will actually hear just how bad it is.

"If you want to change something. then you will do something. The solution is available." Moore understands why referees do not typically exercise their right to book players for swearing or other bad language.

"They would never be supported by the Premier League or the FA and they would be the ones who would never ref again," Moore said.

"While they have the power to deal with it that way, I understand why they don't."